Silver Shard: Gold
by Cinnamonpool
Summary: Ayre is, without a doubt, the ultimate nerd of the Littleroot Academy. Catina is the rebel daughter of Giovanni. Alivia is the wanted outlaw who's just trying to find her place in the world. Fate must've been on a sugar high when they met each other.
1. Chapter 1: Fresh

**Silver Shards**

**Book 1: Gold**

**Region: Kanto Region**

* * *

**Ayre's Room, Gold Residence, Outskirts of Littleroot**

The sunlight filtered through the room. A girl with fiery copper hair that flowed in waves down to her shoulders sat at a computer, fingers dancing over the keyboard as she worked on her essay. Leaning over, she checked the time. The neon green lights pulsed with the digits: 6:02. An Espeon purred gently as it stalked into the room and gracefully leaped into her lap. Absentmindedly, she ran her hand through its silken lavender fur, listening contendedly to its soft mews. It was her mother's pet Espeon, her one cherished companion. Her dad had an Umbreon, and the two fit together as well as their owners.

"Ayre, you awake?" slurred Mr. Gold.

"Yeah, dad," she called back. Ayre was definitely odd-looking, wearing a button-downed shirt which she kept tucked in her jeans. Complete with her tilted glasses and braces, she was the definition of a nerd.

"Why aren't you making breakfast?" he roared angrily. She could feel the vibrations of his heavy footsteps pounding on the stairs.

"I made pancakes..." She trailed off, afraid of saying something that she'd later regret. Despite the wall separating them, she could smell the heavy fumes of smoke and alcohol. Sighing, she turned back to the computer and resumed typing. After a while, she lost track of time, barely noticing the sunlight filtering in through her dark blue curtains, turning them a paler shade. Ayre checked the time again. 7:12. Quickly, she dashed downstairs, attempted to brush her tangled hair, and flew out the door.

The well-trodden dirt path led her through a dense forest, where Rattata and Pidgeys ran wild. Often, when the whether was sunny, she'd sit under the shade of a tall cedar and sketch the Pokemon she saw while singing softly. The singing seemed to encourage other Pokemon, and recently, she'd been seeing more than just the usual. There were a few Pikachu as well, now, and a few Butterfree and Beedrill.

Today was no different. She still had around 15 minutes left before school actaully started, and it was only a two minute sprint from here. Cautiously, she set down her backpack between two large, gnarly roots of a giant oak.

**Route 1**

She lay down on the soft, springy grass which was wet with the morning dew. Slender, delicate fingers broke off a blade of grass and she began blowing into it. At first, it created a loud squeal, but it soon developed into a slow melody. The tune was sad and sweet, and a few Pidgeys perching unsurely on a slim branch fluttered down.

Ayre wished every day could be like this, carefree and light, without having to worry about your "image" or anything. Indefinitely, she preferred the company of Pokemon over that of humans. They didn't care whether you messed up and embarrased yourself in class today, and they don't care that you aren't popular. They'll listen to your problems and, unlike people, would merely blink at your confessions.

These weren't the unintelligent creatures that people payed no heed for unless it was to reach their own goal, they were the unselfish, understanding, and compassionate beings that deserved to rule the world more than humans.

Ayre could see that the light was getting brighter. In one practiced, graceful movement, she was on her feet, shifting her backpack so it was more comfortable. No one would want to be late for Graduation Day, the principal, Mr. Herndon, would definitely make the rest of that day a living nightmare for them. Curse whoever thought of those stupid, uncomfortable backpacks, and curse whoever made the law that all children had to attend school.

**Littleroot Academy, Littleroot**

As she entered the building, the first wave of students trickled into the halls of the pristine white Littleroot Academy. A few guys slapped highfives in greeting, and, as usual, hurried away as she passed. Some of the passing girls snickered, then melted as the guys slung their arms around their shoulders.

She looked away.

Her first class was on the first floor, luckily, and she grabbed her books, slammed her locker shut, and hurried towards it. Others weren't as lucky and they tried to jostle their way through the tight crowd. Ayre tried to make herself smaller to avoid head on collisions that usually resulted in an extremely embarrasing moment for her. The keyword in that sentence is _tried_. Sadly, life doesn't work the way you want it to, and the next thing she knew, she was on the ground rubbing her head. The girls all gathered around the other person who was sitting on the ground, wincing as well.

"I'm so sorry!" she gasped. The person looked up, and she cringed internally as she saw who it was. None other than the king of the academy, Darion James. Girls surrounded him cooing and fussing over him. He shut them up with a dazzling white smile. Then, he looked at Ayre.

"I haven't seen you around," he offered, trying to start a conversation. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

_Duh, no one knows me,_ she thought, but smiled weakly.

"Um, yeah." He looked her over carefully, then backed away into his group of friends and said,

"Well, thanks for knocking me over, but I'll be going now." Then, he left, along with everyone else. Ayre looked down, determined not to embarrass herself further by crying. She picked up her books again, ignoring the jeers and unoriginal taunts from the remaining students and walked to class.

---

Graduation Day passed ... uneventfully. Kids lined up for their certificates, went to their designated classrooms for a party, and then gathered in the gymnasium to receive their Pokemon. Pokeballs opened up, and some faces dropped, some glowed with happiness. The choices and possibilities were endless; Pidgey, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Caterpie, Pikachu.

"I - I have my own Pokemon," Ayre stammered quietly when it was her turn. The aide nodded and she hurried away quickly, ducking her head.

"Hey freak," called someone.

"Yeah, weirdo, what Pokemon did you get?" sneered another kid, also known as her brother. Standing beside him was his proud, glistening red lizard which he aptly named 'Flame'. What creativity people had these days. The other person who had called out to her was the insanely popular Daria Sylvesky. A timid-looking Bulbasaur cowered with fright at her side. Ayre almost laughed at the duo; they were complete opposites.

Silently, she released her Pokemon, which was the only daughter of her mother's Espeon and her father's Umbreon. She'd hatched it by herself from an egg, and felt extremely accomplished after her feat. After all, it was actually quite hard for one to hatch an Eevee from an egg without help. Ayre adored the Eevee, and her parents had been surprised when she walked into their room one day holding a glowing, cracking egg.

Every day since then, she had worked on raising its stats and teaching it attacks from TMs bought from her parent's store in Celadon. The final result was quite admirable for a child who had a phobia of one for the first eight years of her life.

Training eons were like a tradition in their family. Her grandmother and grandfather raised a Vaporeon and a Jolteon. Her cousins had Flareons and Eevees. It was some sort of unspoken, unwritten ritual, but it was there.

"What's _that_ thing?" snorted Daria, rolling her eyes in disgust.

"Have you been listening at all in class, or have you just been thinking about the next color to paint your nails? It's an Eevee, genius," Ayre retorted angrily. Daria's face colored red with embarrassment as the watching crowd laughed. Before Daria could retaliate, she stalked away, still fuming at her remark. She'd called her precious Pokemon a thing. A _thing_. How demeaning to think of her as an object.

After the Pokedexes and Pokeballs were distributed evenly, she grabbed her backpack, stuffed everything inside messily, and ran towards her favorite spot under the towering oak.

---

**Gold Residence, Outskirts of Littleroot**

"Bye!" she called brightly to her parents. The dawn of a new day and the dawn of a new life.

A wave euphoria spread through her body, warming her to the tips of her toes. No more having to deal with the three jerks, also known as her older brothers. No more restricting parents. She felt like nothing could touch her; flippant, light, and free.

They looked up from what they were going and waved and nodded good bye. Stiffly, Mr. Gold placed a Pokeball in her hand, probably some mutated Pokemon from his lab that they deemed 'untrainable'. Hah, pathetic. They just didn't know how to train them.

Her mother looked like she had tears in her eyes. Then, suddenly, the freedom high was gone, replaced with pure hatred and loathing for her twin brother, Justin. He smirked at her through the blondish-red bangs that fell in front of his icy blue eyes.

"Well?" he mocked. "Shall we?" Ayre nodded, pulling out her Pokeball. They had both been looking forward to this day, the day they would verse one another in a one-on-one battle.

"Trinity!"

"Flame, go." Ayre's Pokeball opened to reveal her Eevee, who purred sweetly upon entrance. Flame looked around curiously, waving his flame-tipped tail back and forth as he inspected his surroundings.

"Flame, Tackle," commanded Justin coolly, his expression one of nonchalance. The lizard obeyed, charging forward before slamming into Trinity.

"Counter with Quick Attack, then Bite," called Ayre. The Pokemon raced at a blinding speed towards Flame before pushing it backwards a bit and biting down on its paw. He squealed in pain.

"Ember," ordered Justin. The Charmander quickly obeyed, and, at point blank range, fired a tiny volley of small flames, scorching the Eevee's fur.

"Now Tackle again, Flame." Justin was getting excited, sensing an easy win. As Trinity tried to recover, he rammed into her again, sending her flying backwards into a tree. She landed with a thud. Ayre sighed in defeat as Justin recalled his Pokemon and did the same.

"You tried your best," she whispered as she held Trinity's Pokeball. Justin laughed from behind and waved to her as he slowly jogged away.

"See ya later, loser." What a loving sibling.

---

**Route 1**

**Ayre's POV**

The bad thing about starting out in Littleroot was that you were stuck with catching either a Pidgey or a Rattata as your second and third Pokemon, both which are completely useless. Plus, all the Pidgey ranged from level 2 to level 5, and the Rattata even worse, being around level 2 to level 4. To add the icing on the cake, the grass was tall, wet, and just plain irritating if you have to walk through it.

Trinity and I had battled their way through seven Pidgey, one at level 5 which I caught, and at least twelve Rattata, catching the strongest one one level 4. I spent the rest of the morning meandering around, talking to random people and leveling up my Pokemon. Route 1 really sucked if you were trying to level up Pokemon, because once your Pokemon went past level 10, there was really no use in hanging around any longer. The wild Pokemon didn't prove to be much of a challange anymore, and it was a complete waste of time to keep fighting wild Pokemon there.

Plus, the Trainers there were either major idiots, or just naive little children who used catchphrases like 'I raised my Pokemon really well!' or 'My Pokemon are undefeated!'.

Two issues with that: one, the fact that they're hanging around the easiest route _doesn't_ exactly boost what others think of you, and two, if you're going to boast about your skills, please actually have decent Pokemon besides freaking Rattata, Pidgey, and Caterpie.

For the seventh time that day (yes, I've been counting), I ran my Pokedex over my Pokemon, scanning every tiny detail. I already had the most important details memorized and could recite them flawlessly.

Aero, a male Pidgey at level 10, whose attacks are Sand Attack, Tackle, and Gust.

Thorn, a male Rattata at level 9, whose attacks are Tackle, Tail Whip, and Quick Attack.

Finally, Trinity, a female Eevee at level 14, whose attacks are Tackle, Tail Whip, Helping Hand and Sand Attack, all of which were virtually useless. No offense or anything, but Eevee are definitely not worth your time unless you can evolve them quickly. Let's face it, their attacks all suck besides Bite, which is only learned at level 29, and Take Down, learned at level 41. _And_, their stats were extremely low, somewhat equivalent to Spearow, but probably higher. Slowly, I pulled out the Pokeball that my father had given me.

_Did I want to see what was inside?_ The answer to that was a definite yes. Hesitantly, I released the Pokemon. Instantly, I regretted it. The mystery Pokemon appeared with a savage snarl. The Pokemon looked like the result if you bred a Vulpix with a Pidgeotto or Pidgeot, and then added in some mutant genes.

_Weird._ That was the first word that came to mind. Weird, but not ugly. Actually, it was kinda pretty in a strange sort of way. The body was a scintillating silver color, shaped like a fox, except it had only two paws and its face was extremely vulpine and delicate. The feathers tucked behind its ears gave it an angelic look. Intricate wings unfurled from its back, constantly changing shades of blue. It had many tails that looked like a longer version of a Vulpix's, curling gently at the tips, but fanned out like an Articuno. Designs wove around its wings and tails, simple but divine.

The Pokemon gave another vicious snarl but still managed to pull of sounding like flowing music. Only when it lifted its head to gaze piercingly at me did I notice its eyes. They were hypnotizing, compelling, and alluring. The ever-changing, flashing red eyes seemed as if they could see right through you. They sparkled intelligently, flashing violet for a second as it advanced.

"It's okay," I whispered soothingly. It blinked, eyes becoming dark blue orbs, and it seemed unsure of whether to attack. Even I surprised myself with my gentle, calming tone. But something inside broke when I saw its scars, and I knew it had been abused.

_What's your story? _I thought softly. The Pokemon looked startled, trying to hide it with a mask of annoyance.

_Don't have one,_ I heard it say gruffly in my mind. Reeling, I stared at it.

_You - you can hear me?_ The Pokemon shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing. Cocky little...

_Duh._ Yep, definitely cocky. This was new. I talk with Pokemon through my mind. Or maybe it wasn't. Faintly, I could recall something ... something of my childhood. There was a lady, not Mrs. Gold, but a younger one, with reddish hair. I could make out a little girl, grinning hugely as she hugged and petted a tiger-canine Pokemon. Growlithe, that was it!

Somehow, I knew that the child in the scene was me. That must mean I could talk to Pokemon before as well. But what had closed me up? I know I'd tried several times before to communicate with them, just to hear a tiny bit of their thoughts, but no success. Why now?

_Are you a she?_ came the Pokemon's inquiry, breaking my train of thoughts. I almost laughed.

_Haven't you ever seen a human before?_ The Pokemon wrinkled its nose.

_Yeah, but they all look the same to me, white, ugly idiots. _I rolled my eyes. So I was an ugly white idiot now?

_What are you?_ the Pokemon suddenly whispered softly. I'd never heard its voice so confused, so unsure, and it got me thinking, too. What was I? Abruptly, I barked out a laugh. Listen to me: What am I? The Pokemon looked confused.

_I'm completely sick and tired of calling you 'it' or 'the Pokemon', so what should I call you? _The reply was sharp and as quick as a whip, as if it was a reflexive instinct.

_My Pokemon name is hard to pronounce in your language, but it translates roughly as ... Melody. I am a she._

_What are you? _I asked.

_I'm ... not sure. Normally, though, I'm called a freak,_ Melody mocked bitterly. Now where have I heard that before? Hm... let me think. Melody retracted her wings, pulling them tightly to her body so that she somewhat resembled a Vulpix. The wings instantly changed color to match her body's shade.

_Melody... _I started slowly, eyes tracing over the heavy scars that she'd tried to conceal using her wings.

_Where did you get those scars?_ Melody stiffened visibly. Her eyes flashed angrily, burning red, and snarled. I think that it meant for me not to ask her that again, but I couldn't be sure, I mean Pokemon always snarl at people for no apparent reason, right? She seemed to calm down a bit, because her eyes slowly changed to that mesmerizing dark blue shade.

_Are you afraid? _I said it as gently and quietly as possible.

_No, what would I be afraid of?_ She gave another bitter chuckle.

_Twenty times stronger, smarter, and faster than any Pokemon could ever be._ And yet her voice betrayed her, brimming with tortured secrets that seemed to haunt her. Harsh, unrelenting agony twisted her last few words into a faint snarl. They were hateful, icy, but most of all, forced. Strangled, twisted words that screamed torment. Then, she sighed, her tails flexing as she wrapped them around her thin frame.

_I am._

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	2. Chapter 2: Catina and Alivia

---

Viridian Forest is the strangest place in the entire region of Kanto. It's the one place where the trees don't sway no matter how hard the wind blows. Trust me, I've tried.

---

That day, the wind whipped across my face, strands of my blazing copper hair blinding me. Trinity had to be recalled into her Pokeball because she was constantly being blown away. Even Melody was having trouble navigating, but she refused to go back, saying that Pokeballs were for sissies. Her tails billowed in the wind, whipping up the dirt as she kept close to the ground.

Did I mention the trees still weren't moving?

The Weedle and Caterpie were plentiful, and just plain annoying. Imagine just walking one step, only to find yourself face-to-face with a bug. Creepy. When people thought up the saying "strength in numbers", let them visit Viridian Forest and see how they feel!

Naturally, all the trainers were attracted to me and flocked around asking for battles, thanks to the fact that I had Melody. She trounced each one with a powerful Tackle or Ember. I was extremely proud of her accomplishments, and the other Trainers stared at me in awe. I was having a winning high, romping through the grass with confidence. I'd added a Metapod, Weedle, and Pikachu to my arsenal. Weedle went directly to my PC. They were all above level 10, Melody and Trinity tied at level 19.

"Care to battle?" a voice suddenly said from behind me. I whipped around to see a girl that looked around 13, my age, staring at me. She had dark brown hair that went just a few inches lower beyond her shoulders. Her deep chocolate eyes bore into me, and her hands were on her hips in the usual cocky, defensive stance.

"You're on." I smirked. She pulled out a Pokeball and in a flash of red light, a Pikachu appeared. Its cheeks buzzed with static and anticipation. My choice was Trinity, since she hadn't been keeping up lately. She appeared with a sweet purr and squeaked her name several times at Pikachu. Pikachu's eyes got all misty. It began storing electricity, then released it directly at Trinity.

"What was that for?" I snapped, wincing as several scorch marks appeared on Trinity's fur. The girl shrugged. I pulled out my Pokedex to record its info.

_Pikachu, the mouse Pokemon, whenever PIKACHU comes across something new, it blasts it with a jolt of electricity. If you come across a blackened berry, it's evidence that this POKEMON mistook the intensity of its charge. _

The girl looked sheepish, stuffing her hands in her jean pockets. I rolled my eyes.

"Trinity, Tackle," I commanded. The small fox dashed forward with alarming speed and slammed into Pikachu. The mouse was pushed backwards several steps. When it recovered, its fur was sparking dangerously.

"Thundershock!" called the girl. I refuse to call that person "the girl" anymore, so she will now be known as Person.

"Chuuuuuu," cried Pikachu, letting loose a violent burst of electricity.

"Dig your tail into the ground," I countered hastily. As Trinity was shocked, she gritted her teeth against the pain and pointed her tail towards the ground, creating a lightning rod. She shook off the aftermath of the attack, then proceeded to charge at Person's Pokemon, leaving a white trail behind her. Then, she slammed into Pikachu with a powerful Tackle. It was knocked to the ground and out cold. Person raced to the Pokemon, picking it up gingerly in her arms.

"Nice battle," she complimented, flipping her dark chocolate hair over a shoulder. Her eyes sparkled with exhilaration. I laughed and shook hands with her.

"You were the toughest opponent I've seen today." I smiled.

"Thanks," she said.

"I'm Ayre. Ayre Gold." Person nodded her head and replied,

"Catina..." She hesitated for a fraction of a second, as if unsure of herself, then continued, "Catina Rocket."

I was unable to move. Minutes ticked by. Catina looked concerned, then groaned. She was unable to say anything, though, because right at that moment, a vicious bark echoed throughout the clearing. A man dressed in a black uniform with a red 'R' on the front blundered out of the foliage. A large, gray and black dog who seemed as if it were sent by Satan himself bounded faithfully beside him.

Its head was held high, polished horns arching beautifully at the back of its skull. Its single, arrow-shaped tail was raised triumphantly at the sight of human and the smell of fresh blood. One paw was curled elegantly, silver gauntlets gleaming, and it was howling at the prospect of a successful hunt.

With its fawn-colored muzzle, ivory teeth, and blazing scarlet-red eyes, it was like a demon without wings.

Catina was chalk white, fingers trembling.

"No..." she whispered softly. I realized she was looking at the man.

On closer inspection, he was actually quite young, possibly around our age, give or take a year. He had messy, light blonde hair and dark green eyes. He had a sturdy build, but lean and athletic-looking at the same time. A faint smirk was plastered across his face.

"Catina," he said, voice like rich cream. She suddenly stopped shaking when he said her name, like it had given her back her strength. With all the intensity she could muster, she shot a glare at him through her narrowed doe-brown eyes.

"Aiden Fresnine," she hissed back. Aiden laughed, a mocking, hollow sound. Catina's expression changed instantly. Her eyes were wide with terror.

"What have they done to you?" she whispered in horror. Aiden's lifeless green eyes traced over her figure, searching. Catina shuddered delicately, pulling her light cream jacket over her shoulders.

"You - you're like one of them, now." Aiden shrugged, his eyes still glassy and unfocused.

"They didn't to anything to me," he spat mechanically.

"No..." Catina repeated quietly.

"No, they can't!" She screamed. Aiden's smirk became more prominent.

"Oh, they have." I stared at the two uncertainly and waved my hand in front of their faces.

"Mind filling me in?" I prompted. Catina shook her head slowly. She was obviously still in shock. The Houndoom remained sitting obediently at Aiden's side, but broke out of its frozen state to growl at Melody. Aiden turned to see what caused his sudden change from his previous stoic behavior.

"Calm, Blaze," he soothed. The demonic dog whimpered, but resorted to glaring as its master began petting its head. Now, Melody was shaking. Her eyes were flashing between red and dark blue, and her tails were curled protectively around her small body. She bared her teeth furiously and attempted several times to lunge at him, only to be held back.

_Let me go!_ she howled angrily into my mind. I shook my head.

_Chill, you attacking is only going to make it worse._ She gave one last violent, high-pitched howl that sounded more like a cross of a scream and a snarl, then stopped. Melody's little episode had attracted Aiden's attention. He stared at her for a moment, then whispered something to Blaze. Whatever it was, it definitely got him excited. Or maybe angry? You really can't tell what it's feeling when its panting, tongue lolling, and snarling with some sort of emotion.

"He wants a battle," Aiden said in his monotonous voice. Melody's eyes sparkled mischievously, and her tails waved in anticipation.

"Deal." I smirked. I was confident I could beat him, just like all the other...oh, 17 other trainers I battled earlier. Aiden laughed again, this time more mockingly.

"Suit yourself. Blaze, use Flamethrower," commanded Aiden. Melody screeched in surprise as the flames licked at her tails. They consumed her thin form, twisting and scorching her fur. I watched with wide eyes.

"Return!" A beam of red light shot out of her Pokeball, despite Melody's weak mental protest of '_Pokeballs are for sissies!'_, and she disappeared into it.

"Trinity, you're up," I called. Aiden looked bored. Actually, he always looked bored.

"Blaze, singe that fox," he drawled. Blaze growled as a five-foot long jet of flame shot out of his muzzle and tore at the Eevee's fur.

"Stop it!" I screamed. Trinity cried out as several patches of fur burned into nothing. Aiden smiled icily. He fingered a pitch black Pokeball. It was decorated with gold markings and a single red band encircled the center of it. He caught me watching and lifted the Pokeball higher so I could see it and possibly 'revel in its glory'. Then, he threw it at Trinity.

"What are you doing?" I snapped. He put a finger to his lips and pointed at my Eevee. Her eyes flashed red for a second, just like the Pokeball, before it sucked her in. There was no struggle, and the dark ball flew back to its master. Then, he threw it back onto the grass, where it opened, revealing my Eevee. But not exactly the same.

Where it would normally brown, it was black, and where it should've been cream, it was scarlet. Her eyes were a fiery red-violet color. Trinity bared her teeth in a snarl, exposing two-inch long fangs that curved in slightly at the end. Her ebony-furred paws were tipped with sharp ivory claws.

"M - Melody, come out and use Quick Attack!" The bird/fox creature appeared in a flash of blinding red light. She charged at Trinity with blinding speed.

"Two can play at that game. Go!" Trinity sprinted forward, her lengthened legs carrying her quickly over the grassy earth. She easily overpowered Melody and I cringed as she hit a tree with a sickening thud. Then, I saw Aiden pull out another black ball from his belt, staring hungrily at Melody. I screamed. He threw it, just as Melody was struggling to get up.

A lavender paw batted the ball away effortlessly.

"Not cool, Aiden," snapped a girl's voice. Through the light that sifted through the broad leaves of the trees, I saw her standing there, hands on hips, glaring at the boy. Aiden's head whipped up. His eyes narrowed, though distant.

"Who do you think you are, and how do you know my name?" he hissed. The girl smiled.

"How would I not. You remember me, right? Alivia." Aiden's face blanched at the name. He took a few steps backwards, calling the Houndoom to his side.

I studied her more carefully this time, wondering what about her could frighten him so much. She was slender and around 5' 4" maybe. Wavy, jet black hair flowed down to the middle of her back and her dark blue eyes were steely with anger. She was, as the jocks in Littleroot Academy would say, "absolutely foine and stunning". I shuddered as I thought back to those times.

Sitting on each side of her were Pokemon. On her left was a regal, goddess-like Espeon. Its lilac-colored eyes stared unwaveringly at Aiden.

To her right was a sleek, silky-furred Glaceon. Its body was mainly a pale, silvery blue color, looking more like a snowy white, while its patterns were a darker blue shade and cerulean, like Alivia's eyes. Its clear blue gaze was trained steadily on Blaze, and crystals of ice scintillated around her body.

You could tell they were both trained extremely well by their glittering coats and vibrant eye color. Plus, you could literally see the Glaceon's fur ripple with each gliding step it took, muscles flexing.

"Leave them alone," Alivia demanded coldly. Blaze stepped forward and shot a burst of flame at the Glaceon. It dodged to the side and the Espeon put out the spark with barely a twitch of its paw. You could see the powerful psychic energy extinguishing the fire before it could spread.

"I said _leave them_!" The Glaceon's fur bristled as it snarled angrily, ears flicking to catch some type of signal from its trainer to attack.

_I'd listen to her if I were you,_ hummed a velvety, melodious voice, obviously female. It was evident that Aiden heard it, too, for he was glaring at Alivia. I gaped at the Espeon.

"Can't they only talk in your mind?" Alivia shrugged.

"Well, telepathy can be channeled by the wind, so if Tess here can learn to control it, then she can project the sound,"she explained, making it sound as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Blaze howled demonically again, his eyes blazing with anger (no pun intended) as he wailed to the skies repeatedly. Not that you could see the sky from beneath the huge, towering, _not moving **trees**. _

Slowly, Alivia nodded. Apparently, that was the signal the Glaceon had been waiting for. It surged forward with such a vengeance that it tore some of the grass out of the ground. Twisting and jerking, it fired off multiple volleys of Ice Shards. The Espeon now known as Tess was more calm, choosing to attack through telepathy. You could tell she had jabbed at Blaze when he fell to the ground, writhing with agony.

Aiden growled, much like his doggy friend.

"Return, Blaze." The beam of light reduced Blaze into red energy and he was sucked into the Pokeball. Then, he jogged away. As I turned around to thank Alivia, I realized she wasn't there anymore.

"My day just keeps getting weirder..." I mused to no one in particular. I heard Catina mutter,

"Tell me about it." Only then did I realize she was still there.

"Well, there are still a few hours of the afternoon left, so I'm going," I called over my shoulder as I trotted to another place.

"Wait!" she yelled, running to catch up. She looked at me.

"I'm coming with you." I shrugged. Honestly, I didn't care. Besides, every trainer needed a companion on his or her journey.

_----_

We spent the evening in a semi-normal manner. There were rumors of a wild Mudkip running loose around here, but I hadn't seen anything so far. I was kind of hoping that we could last the entire day without any more chaos but, as usual, fate has something different in mind.

Catina had a fire going, courtesy of Melody's Ember attack. She only started it because I insisted. Twelve times (yes, I counted) that evening, I thought I saw a Caterpie or a Weedle or whatnot and screeched so loud Catina had to stuff a blanket in my mouth.

"They're scary," I whimpered.

We roasted marshmellows that I had packed. There were around 7 jumbo packs of jumbo marshmellows. What can I say? I have a mega-marshmellow addiction. We finished off half of a pack, which is amazing because those things are like the size of a lamp but weigh less than a water bottle. Then, I remembered.

"I just realized something..." I started. Catina looked at me curiously.

"I'm still hungry," I whined. She groaned and slapped herself across the forehead.

"Way to go, Ayre. You just made the record for the biggest amount of stupidest comments ever made in a day. Would you like a certificate? Maybe a cookie?" she snorted sarcastically. I shrugged.

"Cookie would be nice. Are there any chocolate chip cookies?" Catina screamed in frustration. I walked over to my backpack, and I was immediately handed 1 million dollars in cash!

No, I'm kidding, but if I did sell all the Weedle that fell on me in that moment, I would've made more than that.

Now, you may not have noticed, but I have a huge phobia of bugs. So imagine the loudest peal of thunder you've ever heard. Multiply it by 200. _That_ is the perfect example of how loud I screamed. Melody incinerated at least a third, but was too tired to continue. I grabbed a random Pokeball off its hook and chucked it.

There was no noise. Oh boy. No noise = Metapod.

Metapod are giant lumps that hang around on trees until they become Butterfree, and until then, they are virtually hopeless to train.

Well, I was stuck with one option.

"_Run!_" I screamed. We took off. Everyone except Metapod. He stood there, blinking his eyes sleepily. Then, he began chatting with the Weedle. Catina stared.

"What - the - heck?!" she hissed. But whatever Metapod said to them, it made them leave. I felt better, but then screamed again as a few other Weedle fell out of the tree.

"String Shot," I managed to choke out. He did the rest. When they all scurried away, I hugged him tightly.

"I will never call a Metapod useless again!" I vowed. He blinked at me. Suddenly, he was glowing. The glow grew brighter, illuminating our entire camping area. It began to take the shape of something. First, wings extended from the sides of its body, then it became more slender and two antennae sprouted on its head.

"Freeeee!" he cried.

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